Free at last: Pablo Villavicencio-Calderon, shown here in a cellphone picture held up by his 4-year-old daughter, Luciana, can breathe easier now that federal authorities have dropped their case aimed at deporting him.

The Feds dropped their case to deport undocumented immigrant and former pizza delivery man Pablo Villavicencio on Oct. 5, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York confirmed.

A spokesman from the Legal Aid Society said its lawyers cheered government’s decision to drop its case against Villavicencio, whom they took on as a client after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained him when he made a pizza delivery to Fort Hamilton Army Base in June. The spokesman added that the Legal Aid Society would continue to represent Villavicencio — along with lawyers from a private firm, Debevoise and Plimpton LLP — in order to secure his legal right to stay in the U.S.

“We are glad that the federal government fully withdrew their challenge to Mr. Villavicen­cio’s hard-won release from immigration detention and his opportunity to pursue lawful status,” the Legal Aid spokesman said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office originally filed an Oct. 2 appeal challenging U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty’s July decision releasing Villavicencio from detention and staying his deportation to his native Ecuador, according to the New York Law Journal. But just three days later, the Feds withdrew the appeal for unknown reasons.

A spokeswoman for the base claimed that Villavicencio lacked the proper military identification to enter it, prompting a background check and the subsequent discovery of an active warrant from the federal immigration agency, which it issued after Villavicencio failed to leave the country by July 2010, as ordered by a judge.

Gov. Cuomo weighed in on Villavicen­cio’s case on Oct. 5, saying that the government’s change of heart proved the delivery man did not deserve to be detained, and that he was targeted due to his immigration status.

“By dropping its appeal of a court order freeing Pablo Villavicencio, the federal government is admitting what we already knew — that there was absolutely no legitimate reason to lock him up and take him away from his family,” Cuomo said. “ICE’s arrest of Mr. Villavicencio while he was doing his job was an outrageous affront to our New York values and raised serious concerns of ethnic profiling.”

Reasonable discourse

Why is Pablo’s blood more red then mines? I also have family here , my sister also married here , my uncle also married here, why is he different? I also have children .

Oct. 8, 2018, 6:42 pm

Henry Ford from Bay Ridge says:

Perhaps they could deport vision zero instead and make everyone happy.

Oct. 8, 2018, 8:02 pm

Vision Zero from Zero Vision says:

⬆⬆⬆Told ya!⬆⬆⬆
This coward always shows up, online only. Too much of a wuss to show up in person.

Oct. 8, 2018, 8:36 pm

Vision Zero from Zero Vision says:

And he'll be back with some fake azz tough guy talk.

Oct. 8, 2018, 8:37 pm

Amazed from Brooklyn says:

Give him a driver's license too! Why sould he have to take a test like everyone else?

Oct. 8, 2018, 8:50 pm

Amazed from Brooklyn says:

*should

Oct. 8, 2018, 8:51 pm

Henry Ford from Bay Ridge says:

The poor little triggered snowflake above can rest easy tonight. I won’t embarrass him again until tomorrow.

Oct. 8, 2018, 9:27 pm

Henry Ford from Bay Ridge says:

As if he would know anything about showing up and manning up.

Oct. 8, 2018, 9:28 pm

Luna mahoui from Bronx says:

Demolish ICE, Demolish the border wall. Free Medical for all immigrants , free apartatments and college educations for immigrants peoples .gaurenteed jobs and social sexurity and also to vote , impeach trump . America big for enough peoples to stay here , why you complain?

Oct. 9, 2018, 4:33 am

Florence Lesbona from Park Slope says:

Excuse me Luna mahoui - but your conservative xenophobia is reminiscent of Donald Trump!
How do they get to college? They should recieve free cars too.
And what are they going to eat? They will need free restaurant vouchers.
We should reimburse them for the tickets they used to come here.
America has no shortage of money, the government just prints it! We can print more and share it with all these people. You can sit here writting your conservative bull-crap from the comfort of your own computer, but you have no idea what it feels like to be an immigrant or a woman! I don't think you have any authority on the matter.

Oct. 9, 2018, 8:13 am

Amazed from Brooklyn says:

Meanwhile no news outlet has gotten to the bottom of what was so special about the "pizza" that had to be delivered all the way from College Point, hard by the Long Island Sound on the north shore of Queens.

Oct. 9, 2018, 9:16 am

Rufus Leaking from BH says:

Whose SS# did he use?
Will his employer be prosecuted?
Will his taxes be audited?
It's all fun and games until MS13 cuts up your kids!

Oct. 9, 2018, 5:19 pm

Comments closed.

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